Kingdom of Amestris
by Kamije Celeek
Summary: AU: In the kingdom of Amestris, King Edward is constantly fighting for his throne against a society that wants him dead. When he loses his left leg, he meets a mechanic who not only helps him stand up on his own, but shows him how to stand against the masses and fight for what he wants. And she might make a damn good queen, too.
1. The Kingdom of Amestris

**So this is an AU I've seen a** _ **lot**_ **for various fandoms. I decided to throw my hat into the ring, including my OC for** _ **Fullmetal Alchemist**_ **.**

 **This chapter is setting the basis for the rest of the story. As a result, this chapter will focus heavily on Winry, Catherine (Rin), Edward, and Alphonse.**

 **Enjoy the first chapter!**

* * *

 _Long ago, there was a kingdom known as Xerxes. This kingdom was well-known for its technological advancements, but sadly, it fell in a single night as the result of a coup. The kingdom burned to the ground in the ensuing chaos, even trapping the conspirators that had set the fire in their own stupidity. Only one man survived, and his name has been lost to time. However, that man, with the knowledge of Xerxes that he possessed, eventually founded a new kingdom. It was called Amestris, and the man became its first king._

 _Like all people of Xerxes, the man had hair and eyes as golden as the sun, a trait he passed to his son, who passed it on to his children. And so, the royal family of Amestris was marked by the golden hair and eyes of their first king, something that nobody else in Amestris or anywhere else possessed. What with the skill and intelligence of the people of Xerxes passed down the family line, nobody dared question their rule, until now._

* * *

"Princess Catherine!"

Catherine slowed down and turned around to see her personal guards, Maria Ross and Denny Brosch, chasing after her.

"Your Highness, you can't run ahead of us like that," Maria panted. "What if someone tries to harm you?"

"Pfft. It's not like I'm allowed outside the castle walls," Catherine retorted. "Plus, the guards keep the palace more guarded than the borders. Who would hurt me with that much security?"

"Well, I'm afraid you have to stay with us, Your Highness," Denny sighed. "King Edward's orders."

"Ed needs to remove the stick from his ass."

"LANGUAGE, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

Maria snorted. Princess Catherine had never been easy to deal with, especially since she'd become a teenager. She was irritable, restless, unladylike, and… well, an Elric. The royal family wasn't known for their manners and etiquette—no, they were known for their intelligence and strategy. And the golden hair and eyes. In that way, Catherine took after the absent King Van, but otherwise, she was certainly the daughter of the late Queen Trisha—long hair, large eyes, and a pretty face. Maria had no doubt that the princess would have no shortage of suitors once she came of age, but most of them would be either scared off by her brash personality or run off by her two brothers, Edward and Alphonse.

"I don't need babysitters," Catherine insisted. "I can take care of myself."

"Again, it's the king's orders," Denny retorted.

Catherine puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She stared at the ground before looking at the sky above. She proceeded to close her eyes and turn to Denny and Maria.

"I'm afraid I have a headache. Would you kindly escort me to my room?"

"Certainly, Your Highness," Maria replied.

Catherine walked willingly with her two guards, fully prepared for the night ahead.

* * *

In the village below the castle, however, a girl not so different from the princess was going about her job. Her name was Winry Rockbell, and she ran an automail shop/tavern with her grandmother, Pinako. Sure, the automail business brought in a fair amount of gold, but not many people in Resembool needed prosthetic limbs, and those that did had already bought them. Hence, the tavern brought in most of the Rockbell family's money, which was more than enough to keep them afloat for a good long time.

"Hey, Winry!" Jean Havoc called across the tavern. He was sitting with Kain Feury, Hymans Breda, Roy Mustang, Vato Falman, Maes Hughes, and Riza Hawkeye, his normal group for after-work drinking.

"Good evening," Winry greeted the group, a smile on her face.

"How's business?" Kain inquired.

"Good enough. We can still afford to pay Scar and Rin, so we won't be closing for a while."

"Speaking of Rin, is she working tonight?" Jean asked. "I wanted to talk to her."

"Yes, she is, but I don't think she'll want to talk to you."

"Havoc, I told you," snorted Roy. "Rin is too young for you. How old is she, now?"

"Sixteen," Winry replied.

"A sixteen-year-old girl isn't your style."

"Well, I'll still let her know you asked about her." Winry waved just as the street musicians came into the tavern, as they did every night before sunset. She smiled.

 _It's almost time._

There were several things Rockbell Tavern was known for—ale, food, the security, automail, music, atmosphere, and, most recently, Rin.

Rin and Scar were the only two employees of Rockbell Tavern that weren't family members of the Rockbells. Scar was a large, intimidating man with an 'X'-shaped scar on his forehead. He had no other name, and he served as security for the tavern, stepping in when a patron was too unruly, rude, or handsy and promptly showing them the exit. Rin was an orphan girl who had shown up six months prior, looking for a job. She'd quickly proven herself as a hard worker, serving tables and the other thing she was known for, which was about to begin.

The lead musician began playing his fiddle, a loud, bouncy tune that had plenty of energy. His fellow musicians joined in, playing the same energetic melody. Rin, her long blonde hair flying, hopped up on an unoccupied table and began stomping her feet to the rhythm. As if on cue, the patrons of the tavern began clapping to the beat as Rin started to dance. She lost herself in the music, almost becoming a part of it, until the song ended. Once it was over, she hopped back to the floor and went back to work.

"That was amazing, as usual!" Winry complimented.

"No, it wasn't," Rin giggled. "It's easy to dance if you have a sense of rhythm. You just let the music control your movements."

"Well, you must've had a good teacher."

"Yep. Her name was Experience. No better teacher."

"Ha!"

"Who knows? Maybe that's why you turn down every guy who asks you out."

Winry blushed.

At eighteen, Winry was in an unusual situation for a girl her age. Most girls were either dating a man, in the military, or married by the time they were eighteen. Winry had no such prospects, and no desire to date a man who came to the tavern to get drunk before he asked her out. Rin knew that, but she still teased the older girl at every opportunity.

"Get back to work, Blondie."

"Same to you, Blondie."

Winry swatted Rin's arm with a dishrag.

* * *

Catherine let out a sigh as she entered the secret passageway under the castle wall. It was such a pain in the ass sneaking back into the castle at night.

Yes, sneaking _back into the castle_. Any girl Catherine's age living in a castle with even a _modicum_ of intelligence knows that secret passages exist, and if, like Catherine, they're tired of being cooped up, they find one that leads outside. Catherine had, several months prior, and she used it nearly every night. By day, she was the temperamental and rather brash Princess Catherine Elizabeth Elric, but by night, she was the sweet and bubbly Rin. She thanked the stars above (and Ishvallah, whoever he was) that her secret hadn't been discovered yet.

She pushed aside the painting door that led into her room and landed lightly on the floor. Quickly, she changed out of her shirt and pants that made her 'Rin' and into one of the silk nightgowns that she slept in. Right on schedule, Denny and Maria opened the door to find her in her bed, reading a book on alchemy.

"Good night, Your Highness," they told the princess in unison.

"Good night, Maria and Denny," Catherine replied.

* * *

Edward let out a groan of frustration as he banged his head into the desk.

"Something wrong, Brother?" Alphonse asked.

"This damn paperwork," Ed grumbled, holding up one of the offending documents. "This is the worst part of being the goddamn king—the fucking paperwork."

"Maybe you should consider delegating," Al suggested. "I'm happy to help, and I'm sure Rin would love to do _something_ to help our country."

"Nah, I'm the king. It's my job."

"Well, it's not your only job."

"I know. How's Rin doing, by the way?"

"She still hates being under guard all the time."

"You know damn well why we can't let her be on her own."

"They haven't made a move in years, Brother. They won't get into the castle."

"They did before."

"And that's why we have guards."

"That's why she has _personal_ guards."

"I heard her arguing with them earlier. She said you needed to take the stick out of your ass."

"PFFT!" Ed burst out laughing. "YEP! THAT'S OUR RIN!"

"She gets it from your bad habits, you know!" Al was laughing too. They didn't notice Maes Hughes and Roy Mustang entering the room.

"Laughing, Your Majesty?" Roy asked.

"Sorry. Alphonse told me a funny story about Catherine."

"I see."

"Any word on the Ouroboros Society?"

"None so far, Your Majesty," Maes replied. "We're planning to station somebody at Rockbell Tavern, since Resembool is the closest village to our town."

"Rockbell Tavern?" Al asked. "I've never heard of that place."

"It's a fantastic place to let loose after work… or have a small meeting," Roy explained. "The owners wouldn't mind the extra help, I'm sure, considering that one of the waitstaff is off in the daytime and only shows up in the evenings."

"Hmm… good idea, Mustang," Ed complimented. "You come up with it yourself?"

"Yes," Roy lied.

"Nope!" Maes interrupted. "Sorry, Roy, not letting you take the credit for the Lieutenant's plan."

"Hughes…"

"Listen to Hughes," Ed chuckled.

"At least he isn't _short_ -tempered."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?!"

"Nobody, Your Majesty. That's all we have to report."

"Good night, then."

Maes and Roy left the room.

"Jeez, I thought they'd _never_ leave," an all-too-familiar voice laughed. Ed turned to see his sister emerge from behind a bookshelf.

"Rin!" he yelped.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Al asked.

"Nah. Denny and Maria left for the night, and I had a few minutes to kill. I'm not ten years old anymore. I don't need a bedtime." She narrowed her eyes at Ed. "Besides, from what I've been seeing the past few days, you haven't been sleeping, either."

"It's part of being the ruler of a country," Ed muttered.

"Yeah. What good are you to your people if you don't get enough sleep?"

"I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to go off and abandon everyone, especially not you two."

"You mean you're not going to be like Dad."

Al's low voice made Ed stop and turn.

"Dad wasn't a good ruler," Al continued, "but you're already better than him. You're devoting as much time as possible to your people. And your family."

"Plus, if Dad was still on the throne, I'd probably be engaged to some prince by now," Rin added. "I love him, but I'm glad he left so I don't have to take stupid etiquette lessons every day."

"I hate those, too," Ed agreed.

"Well, I'd better get back to my room before the night guards show up." She dragged both her brothers into a hug. "Both of you go to sleep, too, or you'll never hear the end of it."

"Yeah, yeah, Rin."

"Okay, we will."

* * *

 **Yeah, not much to this chapter.**

 **There's a reason Rin is referred to as Catherine in this chapter by everybody who knows her true identity, and that's because it's a sibling-nickname thing. She chooses to go by it outside the castle because it's a quick and easy way to avoid detection. Also, yes, I've always seen her as taking more after Trisha than Hohenheim.**

 **The Ouroboros Society, in case you didn't guess, consists of the Homunculi and the people we saw loyal to them in the series. There wasn't much EdWin, but it's coming.**

 **I just need to figure out a way to chop off Ed's left leg without alchemy.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. A Secret Discovered

**An update? WHAAAAT?!**

* * *

Catherine was about to _scream_.

"Are you listening, Your Highness?" Denny asked.

"Yeah. I'm totally down for a random prince coming here."

"He's not a _random prince_ , Your Highness. He's the crown prince of Xing, first in line to become Emperor."

"Whatever. I'm not marrying him."

"Well, it might be beneficial to the kingdom if you become Empress. After all, Xing is a wealthy and powerful country, and—"

"And I don't care! Ed won't stand for it, and neither will Al. If Amestris wants an alliance with them, don't use _me_ as a bargaining chip! Who came up with that stupid idea?!"

"It was Bradley who suggested it."

"Fire him."

"I can't, Your Highness. He's ranked higher than I am."

"Ugh." She crossed her arms, then turned around.

"Where are you going?" Denny inquired.

"I need to talk to my brother. Tell Maria where I've gone when she gets back from her break."

Catherine headed down the hall towards her brother's office. The king (Ed) was going over some reports from the borders of Amestris. He jumped as the door slammed into the wall next to it, revealing a not-very-happy-camper in the form of his younger sister. She crossed her arms and sat in the armchair in the corner of the room, fuming.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Bradley made a suggestion to my guards about how I should act during the upcoming visit from Xing's royal family." Ed gave her an odd look. "He said I should try to _court_ the crown prince so I can become Empress of Xing. You know, form an alliance via marriage."

"Hell, no! You're fourteen and the prince is _my age_."

"I know. That's why I'm so pissed!"

"Well… we _do_ need an alliance of some kind—"

"Nope. Screw that."

"I just meant it wouldn't kill you to be nice to the prince while he's here."

"Fine… but I'm still not marrying _anybody_ just so the country can have a political alliance."

"Noted." She sighed. "Shouldn't you be getting to your lessons with Teacher right about now?"

"Yep." Catherine got up and left the room, closing the door behind her. Ed sighed as Roy entered the room.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" he asked.

"Bradley wants to use my sister as a bargaining chip with Xing. She's kinda pissed about it."

"Not surprised. She's an Elric; your family doesn't take kindly to the subject of alliance marriages."

"Could you have Bradley come here?"

"Of course, sire." Roy exited the room and ten minutes later, Bradley entered the king's study.

"Mustang said you wanted to see me, Your Majesty?" the tall, imposing man asked.

"Yes. I want to know why you felt my younger sister should be used as a bargaining chip with Xing."

"Well, your sister will be of age in a few years' time, and I figured a marriage alliance would be the most surefire way to secure our position with Xing."

"I've told everyone this, but perhaps you didn't hear. My sister will not be forced into marriage for the sake of an alliance. I promised her that when I took the throne after our father abdicated. Please keep that in mind." In reality, Ed wanted to slap the general, but he refrained. He didn't trust Bradley and needed to keep him close.

"Yes, sire. It won't happen again."

* * *

Denny felt uncomfortable.

It was his day off, and as usual, he had no idea what to do with his time. He'd spent half the day with his younger siblings, but his parents insisted he take time for himself. They were proud that their son was part of the princess's personal guard, but they had also heard the horror stories of the princess's brash nature. Denny assured them he could deal with it, but his parents had said that he deserved to take time for himself, rather than catering to the whims of somebody else.

Right now, he was wandering around the shopping district, gazing into shop windows and what-have-you. There wasn't much in Resembool, where he lived with his family when he wasn't keeping up with Princess Catherine. His stomach grumbled and he spotted a tavern in the distance—Rockbell Tavern. He'd heard it had good food and even better service, so he shrugged and went inside.

"Hey, Denny!" a voice called over the din in the crowded space. Denny spotted Jean Havoc sitting with a few others. "Come pull up a chair!"

Denny made his way over and did just that.

The others around the table were Kain Feury, Heymans Breda, Roy Mustang, and Riza Hawkeye. All of them welcomed him with open arms and a blonde waitress poured him a drink.

"So, how goes keeping an eye on Her Highness?" Jean asked, a cigarette in his mouth as usual.

"Oh, well, you know. She's a teenage girl who's tired of being cooped up."

"I heard she's a royal pain in the ass," Breda added.

"Sometimes, but usually, she's not that bad. Yesterday was the worst blowup she's had in months."

"What happened?" Riza asked, tilting her head.

"Well, Bradley suggested that she be used to secure a strong alliance with Xing by marrying Prince Ling, like a bargaining chip."

"Good lord," sighed Roy. "So _that's_ what that was about. The king had me fetch Bradley to talk to him about it. Needless to say, he wasn't any happier about it than the princess."

"Princess Catherine is very independent. She doesn't like being ordered around or followed. Hell, I'm surprised she puts up with me and Lieutenant Ross as much as she does."

"Enough about work," snorted Jean. "Let's all just enjoy our time off!" He waved down the waitress. "Hey, Winry! How about a round of your grandma's stew?!"

"Coming right up!" the blonde replied, heading back into the kitchen. Within a few minutes, she'd come out with a stewpot and bowls, which she set out on the table.

"Thanks!" Roy told her.

"You're welcome. Granny says to eat up."

Winry headed off and started serving other customers. Denny ladled some of the stew into his bowl and took a bite. It was _delicious_.

"Good, eh?" Kain laughed. "Pinako's stew is the best in the kingdom."

"I believe it!" Denny replied. He quickly finished the bowl.

"Hey, Winry!" Jean called. The waitress came over. "Is Rin working tonight?"

"Yeah, but she's in back with Granny. Why?"

"I was hoping to talk to her."

"She's sixteen! Too young for you!"

"Dammit." Winry smacked the back of his head with a cloth.

"It's almost seven, so you'll see her anyway."

"Oh, yeah!" Winry headed off.

"What happens at seven?" Denny inquired.

"That's when the street musicians come in," Roy replied. "And also, when Rin entertains the tavern for five minutes."

"Okay…" Just a few minutes later, as predicted, the musicians came in and a blonde girl with her hair tied up in a bun came out of the kitchen. She was wearing a tunic and trousers, along with a pair of boots. She hopped up on an empty table in the center of a cluster of them and the musicians began to play a bouncy, energetic tune.

"Here we go!" Jean snickered. "That's Rin, by the way."

Rin began stomping her right foot to the beat as the customers in the tavern started to clap to the beat. She appeared to lose herself in the music, dancing lively and leaping from table to table in the cluster. She came close to Denny's table and he got a look at her face. There was a light of recognition and fear in her eyes as he choked on his drink.

 _Princess Catherine?!_

After the song was over, 'Rin' leapt down from the tables.

"I'm going on break!" she squeaked to Winry, running out of the tavern. Denny excused himself and ran outside after her. She disappeared into an alley, not far away, and he followed her. She was trying to catch her breath, obviously, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Pardon my language, but what the _hell_ are you doing here?" he asked.

"Working," she sniped, and he knew it really _was_ the princess.

"You shouldn't be outside the castle. It's—"

"Dangerous, I know. I just… it's so suffocating there. I needed to get out."

"How did you even get out here?"

"Our castle is over five hundred years old. You honestly didn't think there might be secret passages?"

Denny was at a loss for words. For a moment, at least.

"H-how long have you been sneaking out?"

"Seven months. I've worked at the tavern for six. And before you ask, no, nobody recognizes me. I've never left the castle as the princess, so nobody knows what she looks like." Suddenly, she got an odd look on her face. "Wait, if you're here, then… _dammit_!"

"What?"

"That means Armstrong is on my guard detail tonight. I have to go back."

"Your Highness, you can't keep sneaking out like this."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's… too dangerous."

"Look, I've always been careful. Until tonight, nobody has recognized me. I want to keep working at the tavern. I want to have this one little secret from everybody. Please, _let me do this_."

Denny took a deep breath. He knew Princess Catherine hated being cooped up like she was. He knew she needed the tavern to feel a sense of control over her life. He also knew that the Ouroboros Society would jump at the chance to capture her.

He needed to be careful.

"Okay, I'll keep your secret, but you have to promise to tell Lieutenant Ross about this. She should know, too, so we can help you stay safe."

"Fine." She checked her watch. "Well, it's time to go, anyway. I'll see you tomorrow, Denny."

"Goodbye, Rin." She dashed back towards the tavern.

* * *

"Good night, Your Highness!" Alex told the princess. The fourteen-year-old was reading in bed, and she gave him a smile and a wave.

"Lieutenant Ross, could you stay for a few minutes?" Princess Catherine requested of Maria. "I need to talk to you."

"Of course." Alex left the two females alone and the princess got out of bed. "What is this about?"

"I've been keeping a secret for the past eight months." She went over to the painting of the lost kingdom of Xerxes and pressed three symbols on the frame: a moon, a star, and finally, the sun. The painting swung open to reveal a passageway. "This is a passage out of the castle. I discovered it a while ago and I've been using it to sneak out of the castle."

"Your Highness!" Maria gasped in horror. "That's—"

"Dangerous, I know. I did it anyway, because I wanted to get outside. I've been working at a tavern in Resembool for six months, and I ran into Lieutenant Brosch there tonight. He promised to keep my secret as long as I told you."

"So you're going to keep sneaking out?"

"Yeah. I don't know why everyone says it's so dangerous! Every other princess is allowed to leave her palace, so why can't I?" Maria bit her lip and Catherine gave her a look. "You know something, don't you?"

"N-no! I don't!"

"You've been one of my bodyguards as long as I can remember. You know why I'm not allowed to leave. Tell me! I need to know!" Maria realized that the princess deserved to know.

"All right." She took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of the Ouroboros Society?"

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER!**

 **So, yeah, both Denny and Maria know about the princess's excursions. This is for story reasons. They've been Catherine's bodyguards for ten years, so they know her extremely well and are willing to keep her secret if she remains vigilant.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	3. The Truth Revealed

"The Ouroboros Society? I think I heard Colonel Mustang talking to Ed about them, once…"

"But you don't know what it is, right?"

"Not at all." Catherine sat down on her bed and Maria pulled up a chair. "Tell me."

"Well, years ago, when your mother was still alive and your father was still on the throne, they formed as a group that wanted to rid the land of the monarchy. You were a baby at the time that they formed, and at first, they were a mere nuisance to the crown. They staged a few protests, and they destroyed some military strongholds, but nothing too serious. Then… when you were about three years old, two of their members—Envy and a former priest named Father Cornello—broke into the royal nursery, where you were sleeping…"

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Queen Trisha awoke to the sound of Catherine crying._

 _"MAMAAAA!" the toddler princess screamed. Trisha leapt from her bed, waking her husband as she ran into the hall just in time to see two men exiting the royal nursery. The older one was holding Catherine over his shoulder, the little girl screaming and crying._

 _"How_ **dare** _you?!" the queen yelled, rushing towards the kidnappers. They took off down the hall. "Guards!_ **Guards!** _" She ran after them, gaining with every step. Maria and Denny, both extremely new to the royal guard, were the first to arrive and follow her._

 _"Shit!" Envy swore, his eyes wide with fear._

 _"Give me my daughter!" Trisha demanded, grabbing Catherine from Cornello. The princess screamed._

 _"You stupid whore!" Cornello boomed, taking out a knife and driving it into the queen's chest._

 _"Your Majesty!" Denny called. The two criminals chose to abandon their task and ran out of the castle. Cornello was captured at the gate, but Envy escaped._

 _"I've got the princess!" Maria told Denny as he picked up the wounded queen. The knife in her chest had the symbol of the Ouroboros Society on the handle._

 _The queen died the following day as a result of her injuries. After she was buried in the royal mausoleum, the king addressed the entire kingdom with his three now-motherless children by his side._

 _"The queen's passing is the most tragic event we've seen in many years," he announced. "However, that same night, the princess was almost lost as well. The ones responsible for this tragedy are the Ouroboros Society, who are, as of now, enemies of Amestris and traitors of the highest order. They will be hunted down and purged from our land, in the name of Queen Trisha."_

 _The crowd roared. Catherine clung to Alphonse and Edward, crying because her mother was gone._

 _END FLASHBACK_

"So… the reason I'm under constant guard is because of the Ouroboros Society?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Brosch and I were appointed as your personal guards because we were the first to reach you and your mother."

"And… my mother is dead because she tried to save me?"

"Don't blame yourself. You were a _child_. There was no way you could've escaped on your own." Catherine felt her eyes brimming with tears.

"I-I can't believe this."

"I know it seems incredulous, but—"

"No. I can't believe that nobody told me! Whenever I asked about my mother, everyone told me that she was in a better place! I'm _fourteen_ , and _nobody_ thought I could handle the subject of death!"

"We thought it was for the best, Your Highness."

"And the worst part?! My brothers _knew_. They _knew_ why I was under guard and what happened to Mom, and they _never told me_."

"Please, Your Highness… be reasonable."

"Maria… why doesn't anybody think I can handle anything?"

"Your Highness—"

"No. Don't call me that. Don't call me Princess. I'm Catherine or Rin. Call me one of those two. I owe you too much. You _and_ Denny."

"Catherine… we all wanted to protect you to the best of our ability. I guess we forgot that you're growing up."

"Yeah…" Catherine held her head in her hands. "I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Maria."

"Good night, Your—I mean, Catherine."

Maria closed the door behind her.

* * *

The following day, Catherine made her way to her brother's office, where he was discussing the upcoming visit from the Xingese royal family with Al, Roy, Bradley, and Maes. She entered the room and the men stopped talking as she sat down.

"Can we help you, Your Highness?" Roy asked.

"No… I want to talk to Ed and Al. Alone."

"We're in the middle of something," Bradley told the princess. "The Xingese royal family will be here in two weeks, and we aren't prepared." Catherine stood upright (even then, she barely reached five feet tall) and looked Bradley in the eye.

"I want half an hour to talk to my brothers alone, then I'll allow you to continue your talks."

"We can do that," Ed agreed. "If you three could go…?"

"We'll be back in half an hour," Maes promised the king. The three military officials left the royal siblings alone.

There was silence.

"What's the matter?" Al asked his sister, who was refusing to look either of her older brothers in the eye.

"I… I talked to Maria last night. I made her tell me why I'm not allowed to leave the castle and why I'm under constant guard." She looked up with a spark of anger in her eyes. "It's because I'm the reason Mom died."

"No!" Ed yelped. "That's not why—"

"Oh, I know the _whole_ story. The Ouroboros Society tried to kidnap me when I was a toddler, so Dad appointed Maria and Denny as my personal guards. When he left, rather than let your sister have more freedom, you continued what Dad did. Even as I got older, as I _begged_ to be allowed outside the castle walls, you remembered what happened before. You remembered that _I'm_ the reason you no longer have a mother, and you let me be _miserable_."

"We're trying to protect you!" Ed snapped. "You're our little sister, and I'm _sorry_ for trying to protect the only family I have left!"

"And _I'm_ sorry that I'm the reason Mom died!"

"It wasn't your fault!" Al insisted, trying to hug her. She brushed him aside.

"No. It was the fault of the Ouroboros Society. But it was _me_ they went after. Not Ed, first in line for the throne. Not you. _Me_. Why did they pick me? Because I was the youngest. I was the weakest. I was the one who'd send a message." Tears were running down her face.

"The Ouroboros Society are the reason we can't let you outside," Ed told his sister. "They're sneaky and hard to find. We hardly know about anyone who's a definite member, so we don't know who to trust out there."

"I… I think I understand now…" Catherine's anger was evaporating—or at least, redirecting itself towards the Ouroboros Society instead of her brothers. "Just please… _please_ don't try to protect me from the truth anymore. I'm fourteen. I want to do more than just be the princess. I want to help our people."

"Okay. I promise."

"Me, too," Al added. Ed got up from his chair and the three Elrics hugged each other.

It would be their last peaceful moment for a while.

* * *

 **Yep. That happened.**

 **I was trying to put myself in Catherine's head, and I think I succeeded. She still blames herself for her mother's death, which she blocked out of her memory until now. She doesn't blame herself as much, though, and she's trying to be better. Her brothers are also realizing that she's growing up and they can't shelter her from the world forever. One day, baby sister will be an adult and won't know how to deal with the world if they don't stop.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


End file.
